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Hullabahoos
The Hullabahoos are a student-run, all-male a cappella group at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The group was founded in 1987 by Halsted Sullivan and has recorded 15 studio albums as of early 2007 and performed at the 2004 Republican National Convention, Washington Nationals baseball games, Good Morning America, the Philippines, weddings, and private parties. Other performance requests have included invitations from the White House, the Kennedy Center, and NBC's The Today Show. History The group was founded December 8, 1987 when a couple of friends at the University of Virginia got together and said, "Hey, let's sing other people's songs without instruments, and wear robes while we do it". So they did. And they still do. The group's history has taken them all around the globe and allowed them to record multiple studio albums in what they refer to as Hullabasound (as stated on their album inserts). The Hullabahoos are typically 13 to 18 members (although this figure varies from year to year), and auditions for newcomers are held every fall and occasionally in the spring. The current Hullabahoos logo was first drawn in Fall 2003 by Morgan Anderson, a student at Williams College, in promotion of the Hullabahoos' visit to her school. The poster was later scanned into a computer and emailed from a girlfriend in Massachusetts to her boyfriend in Virginia, and it slowly crept its way onto more and more Hullabahoos paraphernalia, gradually overtaking the traditional but less distinctive Uppercase H logo. Fall Roll In addition to concert performances and other similar gigs, the Hullabahoos typically reserve their Fall Break weekend at the University of Virginia for a road trip up the East Coast, stopping and performing at various colleges (e.g. Dartmouth College, Boston University, University of Connecticut, etc.) along the way. They currently refer to this annual excursion as Fall Roll. CD Production The Hullabahoos have been producing studio albums since 1991's Full Glottal Stop, and spent the majority of their early album-making career recording with accomplished sound engineer Paul Brier, formerly of Virginia Arts Recording Studios in Charlottesville, VA. However, with 2004's release of Jacked, the Hullabahoos began to transition over to a new sound engineer/producer—Dave Sperandio of Diovoce, hiring him to handle the album's final mixes and mastering. Dave, with his proficiency in Hip-Hop and Pop-type production, quickly built himself a solid reputation in the a cappella world, and his work has been commended by the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB). With the Hullabahoos' 13th CD release, a cappella producer and UVA alum, James Gammon, of his self-titled James Gammon Productions was added into the production mix, doing almost all of the Hullabahoos' recording as well as mixing "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" and recording and mixing the album Varsity Sing Team in full. Robes The Hullabahoos, although around since 1987, were not the first all-male a cappella group at the University of Virginia. That title instead goes to the school's Virginia Gentlemen, founded in 1953. Historically, the Virginia Gentlemen, or VG's as they are sometimes called, wear tuxedos or coats and bowties whenever they perform. So when the Hullabahoos came on the scene, they decided to differentiate themselves with a more laid-back style by adopting the use of uniquely patterned robes that have been noted to somewhat resemble the official garb of the Eli Banana, one of the many Secret Societies at the University of Virginia. Each member goes to Mr. Hank's Fabric Store in Charlottesville, VA to pick out his own desired robe pattern. This gives the group a sense of relaxed individuality, making the Hullabahoos stand out amongst the more typical glee club-style college groups. Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory New York-based writer Mickey Rapkin followed the Hullabahoos in 2006 and 2007 and profiled the group in his book, Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory. This "behind-the-scenes look at the bizarre, inspiring, and hilarious world of competitive collegiate a cappella" was released on May 29, 2008 by Gotham Books. The group also makes an appearance in the film version of the novel, released in 2012. Discography *''Morning Warriors'' (2012) *''Evicted'' (2009) *''XX-Dos Equis'' (2008) *''Better Than Coal: A Hullabahoos Christmas'' (2007) *''Varsity Sing Team'' (2007) *''Off The Dock'' (2006) *''Jacked'' (2004) *''XV - The Essential Other People's Songs Without Instruments'' (2003) *''You Don't Know Me'' (2002) *''Xerox Nation'' (2001) *''8ch'' (2000) *''Hurricane'' (1999) *''Unit, Corps, God, Country, Hullabahoos'' (1998) *''You'd be Surprised How Well it Fits'' (1997) *''Get on the Glide'' (1996) *''Free Doughnuts'' (1994) *''Baby Fishmouth'' (1993) *''Full Glottal Stop'' (1991) Awards and recognition CARA wins and nominations *2008: Best Holiday Album Nomination for "Better than Coal: A Hullabahoos Christmas"; Best Holiday Song Nomination for "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"; Best Male Collegiate Album Nomination for "Varsity Sing Team" * 2005: Best Male Collegiate Album Nomination for Jacked; Best Male Collegiate Solo Nomination for Russell Bloodworth (Class of '05) on "Cry Me a River"; Best Male Collegiate Song Award for "Cry Me a River" * 2003: Best Male Collegiate Song Award for "Melt With You" * 2002: Best Male Collegiate Album Award for Xerox Nation; Best Male Collegiate Solo Runner-Up for Jeff Hall (Class of '01) on "All Out of Love"; Best Male Collegiate Song Nomination for "Everything You Want" Albums selected as "Top Picks" / "Honorable Mentions" by the RARB * 2004: Jacked given "Honorable Mention" * 2002: You Don't Know Me given "Honorable Mention" * 2001: Xerox Nation selected as "Top Pick" Album tracks selected for BOCA * 2013: "Something to Believe In" selected for BOCA 2013 * 2006: "Save a Horse" selected for BOCA 2006 * 2005: "Hey Ya" selected for BOCA 2005 * 1999: "You Make Me Wanna" selected for BOCA 1999 * 1998: "Hands to Heaven" selected for BOCA 1998 * 1996: "What You Won't Do For Love" selected for BOCA Vol. 2 Album tracks selected for Voices Only * 2012: "Best Love Song" selected for Voices Only 2012 * 2010: "You Found Me" selected for Voices Only 2010 * 2005: "Cry Me a River" selected for Voices Only 2005 Members Virginia Glee Club members in the original Hullabahoos lineup included Andy Erickson, Phil Byers, and Chris Walker, who was the group's second music director. External links *The Official Hullabahoos Website References Category:University of Virginia choirs Category:UVA a cappella groups Category:University of Virginia musical groups Category:1987 establishments